It looks like part of Royal Caribbean's plans for 2015 include swapping Jewel of the Seas and Navigator of the Seas.  Royal Caribbean will move the larger Navigator of the Seas to San Juan in 2015 according to a report by Caribbean Business.

The change will occur in May 2015 according to the report and is a good sign for the blossoming cruise port of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Caribbean Business writes, "In May 2015, Royal Caribbean is scheduled to replace the Jewel of the Seas—which currently carries out weekly trips, with San Juan as its homeport—with a bigger ship, the Navigator of the Seas." 

Royal Caribbean is rumored to be releasing their 2015/2016 deployment schedule sometime in the timeframe of late February or March 2014.

Royal Caribbean has begun its revitalization effort on Navigator of the Seas that will refurbish the Voyager-class cruise ship.  

Amy Mumford posted this photo of the work being done on the Royal Promenade yesterday, which gives us a glimpse at the scope of work being done.

Photo by Amy Mumford

For a full list of what is being changed on Navigator of the Seas, check out our deck by deck comparisson.

Navigator of the Seas first cruise after refurbishment will be a 5-night sailing from Galveston, Texas followed by 7-night cruises thereafter.  Royal Caribbean Blog will be posting LIVE coverage from her first 7-night sailing on February 9.

Royal Caribbean isn't done adding new things to Navigator of the Seas before she enters drydock next week for her refurbishment.  New Navigator of the Seas deck plans show she will get a new specialty restaurant called, "Sabor Modern Mexican".

The Mexican restaurant is a departure from Royal Caribbean's previous Mexican specialty restaurant that first debuted on Allure of the Seas, Rita's Cantina.  

The new restaurant will be located on deck 4, where The Dungeon night club used to be.

The new restaurant addition comes with this description about why the cruise line opted to develop a new offering, "Royal Caribbean International is furthering its commitment to total guest satisfaction by introducing a new specialty restaurant on Navigator of the Seas®.  Sabor Modern Mexican provides guests an opportunity to enjoy creative yet recognizable modern Mexican cuisine and beverages with polished casual service in a contemporary setting."

The cover charge for this new specialty restaurant is expected to be $25 per person.

The addition of Sabor Modern Mexican is another unique upgrade coming only to Navigator of the Seas first, including virtual balconies and a WiFi networking upgrade.

Navigator of the Seas will begin a month long refurbishment in January 2014 to receive upgrades and amenities that will breathe new life into the ship.  Her first cruise back will be on February 5, 2014.  Royal Caribbean Blog will provide live coverage of her first week long cruise after refurbishment on February 9, 2014.

Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas will call Galveston, Texas year-round starting in the winter of 2013, after she undergoes a refurbishment.

Navigator of the Seas will offer seven-night western Caribbean cruises after she enters drydock in February 2014 as part of Royal Caribbean's effort to update every cruise ship in the fleet.  

During Navigator of the Seas' time in drydock, she will receive

• FlowRider surf simulator
• Giovanni’s Table
• Park Café
• Izumi Asian Cuisine
• Virtual Balconies for select interior staterooms
• New panoramic oceanview staterooms – featuring full-length, floor-to-ceiling windows
• Outdoor oversized movie screen overlooking the main pool
• Royal Babies and Tots Nursery
• New Diamond Lounges for suite and Crown & Anchor Society members
• Cupcake Cupboard
• WiFi throughout the ship
• flat-panel televisions in all staterooms
• interactive signage

Royal Caribbean executive vice president of Global Sales and Marketing, Lisa Bauer, commented on the news, "We are thrilled to be homeporting Navigator of the Seas, with her new enhancements and first at-sea amenities year-round in Galveston. As part of our commitment to delivering the most innovative and contemporary vacation experiences to guests, the iconic FlowRider, as well as the new Virtual Balconies, will be among a new range of amenities being introduced aboard the Voyager class of ships – making every ship our best ship. These exciting and unmatched onboard amenities on Navigator of the Seas, offer adventurous family vacationers many opportunities to be WOW’ed in ways that only Royal Caribbean can deliver.”

Two of the new features, the virtual balconies and panoramic oceanview staterooms, are features that Royal Caribbean is "live testing" aboard Navigator of the Seas to get the technology ready for Quantum of the Seas, which will be under construction at the time.

When Royal Caribbean announced the new innovation of virtual balconies coming to Quantum of the Seas, the next cruise ship that is being developed, company officials mentioned the virtual balconies will first be seen on Navigator of the Seas.

Navigator of the Seas was already scheduled for a refurbishment early next year as part of Royal Caribbean's fleet wide revitalization program.  The virtual balconies will now be added to the list of new features Navigator of the Seas will receive.  It appears Navigator of the Seas will be the "testing ground" for this brand new innovation.

The virtual balconies will be 80-inch LED projection screen that will show images of the ocean that is taken from elsewhere on the ship. 

Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein thinks the virtual balconies will be a great addition, "It's going to bring a completely different feel to the experience."

Navigator of the Seas will go into drydock next January to get the Royal Advantage upgrade package. It is scheduled to sail from Galveston when the upgrades are complete.

Goldstein said there will not be a specific surcharge for interior cabins with virtual balconies, but added that he hopes they will bring higher yields.

"The whole experience will be more valuable to our guests and we expect that to be reflected in the ticket price," he said. 

Quantum of the Seas is expected to enter service in Fall 2014. 

Royal Caribbean announced that it will offer a new New Orleans to Bahamas cruise in Fall 2013 aboard Serenade of the Seas.

The new itinerary will include stops at  Key West, Florida; Nassau, the Bahamas; and CoCo Cay, Royal Caribbean’s private island also in the Bahamas. This route will alternate with the current Western Caribbean route sailed for the past few years. One special 9 night cruise will be available as the first cruise of the season out of New Orleans in December 2013.

In addition to this new route, Royal Caribbean will welcome Serenade of the Seas to the city in Fall 2013 for the winter season.

For fans of steampunk, there's a new cruise theme for you.  The Steampunk Cruise and Duchess of Nola High Seas Ball will be held on Navigator of the Seas on March 16, 2013.

The cruise offers on-board workshops and performances from established steampunk writers, speakers, artists and musicians.

Steampunk is defined as Victorian science fiction, which is basically how industrialized 19th century people would have viewed science fiction.  Steampunk uses this existing technology and structure to imagine an even more advanced 19th century, often complete with Victorian-inspired wonders like steam-powered aircraft and mechanical computers.

Other events aboard the cruise include

• The Steampunk Duchess Of Nola High Seas Ball
• The Chrononauts Parade
• The Magnificent Captain’s Formal Night on the Navigator of the Seas
• Performances by Hellblinki Sextet in the exquisite Shipboard Ixtapa Lounge
• Performances by Unwoman under the stars
• Appearances by the infamous Mary Robinette Kowal, Writer and Puppeteer
• Appearances by the renowned Author GD Falksen
• Readings with award winning Author Jay Lake
• Mind-bending Steampunk Confabulations on everything from, Steampunk History, to the Future of our Past
• Steampunk Film Festival sharing some of the best Steampunk Movies and shorts
• Ballroom Dance class and Dance Attitudinal workshop
• Sunset Sail Aways of Romantic Splendor
• Dinners in the magnificent three tiered Formal Dining Room
• Late Night Rendezvous on the top deck all glass wrap around Viking Crown Lounge
• Tea Get Togethers as you step back in time in the Dungeon Dance Club
• The Steampunk Cruise Craftroom Extravaganza Gatherings
• The Great Mad Scientists Monologue Competition
• Vintage Bathing Suit Contest Deck-side as we sail out to sea…
• Pipe and Brandy after dinner in the Connoisseurs Club (cost not included)
• Formal Portraits in your Costumed Best with amazing backdrops and green screen.
• Cocktail Party with Prizes for the weeks best! Prizes, Swag and so much more!
• Optional High Tea excursions in Jamaica and Grand Cayman ( Add on cost)

More information on the cruise can be found at steampunkcruise.com

Royal Caribbean has released their schedule of cruises to the Caribbean for 2013-2014 and are now open for bookings.

Royal Caribbean is planning cruises for Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Independence of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas and Serenade of the Seas to bring a total of 140 sailings across 31 itineraries what will make stops at 20 different ports.

New to the schedule will be cruises out of New Orleans, Lousiana aboard Serenade of the Seas.  The first cruise out of the Big Easy will be a 9-night Caribbean cruise on December 12, 2013 that will stop at Key West, Nassau, Labadee & Ocho Rios.  Following that cruise, Serenade will alternate between 7-night cruises to the Bahamas and Western Caribbean.

It will be business as usual for Oasis and Allure of the seas.  They will continue their popular 7-night western and eastern Caribbean cruises out of Port Everglades, Florida.

Also calling Port Everglades home will be Independence of the Seas, who will offer 6-night cruises to the western and eastern Caribbean.

Freedom of the Seas will continue to operate out of Port Canaveral, Florida and alternate between 7-night eastern and western sailings.  

Finally, Navigator of the Seas will debut in Galveston, Texas with two western Caribbean cruises.  Both are 7-night sailings and one itinerary calling at Falmouth, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel, while the other at Roatan (Honduras), Belize City (Belize) and Cozumel.

Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas will homeport in Messina this summer and the mayor officially welcomed the new ship.  At a ceremony this morning, Messina Mayor Giuseppe Buzzanca celebrated the occasion along with the Commissioner of the Port Authority, Dario Lo Bosco, and the Director General of Royal Caribbean Cruises John Rotondo.

The choice by Royal Caribbean of Messina confirmed the strengthening of the commitment on the peninsula and the eye towards the markets of southern Italy, allowing Royal Caribbean to serve 14 ports in Italy.

Navigator of the Seas will visit Messina each week for 27 times between May and October, transporting 84,000 passengers during its  7-night itineraries in the Eastern Mediterranean